Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream

Joshua Davis

Dec 2014 · Sold by FSG Originals

About this ebook

Joshua Davis's Spare Parts--now a major motion picture--is a story about overcoming insurmountable odds and the young men who proved they were among the most patriotic and talented Americans in this country—even as the country tried to kick them out.

Four undocumented Mexican American students, two great teachers, one robot-building contest . . .

In 2004, four Latino teenagers arrived at the Marine Advanced Technology Education Robotics Competition at the University of California, Santa Barbara. They were born in Mexico but raised in Phoenix, Arizona, where they attended an underfunded public high school. No one had ever suggested to Oscar, Cristian, Luis, or Lorenzo that they might amount to much—but two inspiring science teachers had convinced these impoverished, undocumented kids from the desert who had never even seen the ocean that they should try to build an underwater robot.

And build a robot they did. Their robot wasn't pretty, especially compared to those of the competition. They were going up against some of the best collegiate engineers in the country, including a team from MIT backed by a $10,000 grant from ExxonMobil. The Phoenix teenagers had scraped together less than $1,000 and built their robot out of scavenged parts. This was never a level competition—and yet, against all odds . . . they won!

But this is just the beginning for these four, whose story—which became a key inspiration to the DREAMers movement—will go on to include first-generation college graduations, deportation, bean-picking in Mexico, and service in Afghanistan.

Finalist for the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize
New York Times Best Seller

Ratings and reviews

This book shows how students can and will work on projects involving unbelievability dept of concentration when they can see the degree of completion and self satisfaction. I say more power to them, and may you rise to the top.

A nicely balanced reading experience comprised with learning something new every other page and holding back tears at each biography

I LOVE THIS BOOK Rate 5/5 this book is inspiring to any reader's

About the author

Joshua Davis is the cofounder of Epic Magazine and longtime writer at Wired, where his work was nominated for a National Magazine Award for feature writing. He is the executive producer of the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ series Little America, which tells stories of immigrants across the United States. He is also the author of The Underdog, a memoir about his experiences as an arm wrestler, backward runner, and matador. He lives in San Francisco with his family.